The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-03-13
How Our Seacoast Cities Will Be Protected
and the Fleets Of the Enemy Destroyed
by One Man, Who Will Incur No Risks.
Pleasant RecOllectiOns of Mr.. Beecher's
Occasional Visits to the Capital.
The Mean Trick that Aft Taylor Played Upon
His Brother Bob During Last Years Cam
paign-General Washington News.
SCIENTIFIC WARFARE.

Gen. Negley Tells How Our Seacoast Cities
Will Re Protected Against Foreign Fleets.
Special to the Indianapolis Journal.
WASHINGTON, March 12.-'I do not believe
the Notifications and coast defenses of the
future will employ any earthworks or heavy
guns" said General Negley, of Pittsburg. to
your correspondent this morning Il antici-
pate that defenses will be made by more sci
entifc and effectual process" continued the
General, who has just completed long period
in Congress, during which he made a study of
war measures and preparations. land may add
that they will be begun very soon. In my mind
I now see the defense preparations made for
the harbor of New York. for instance. 1t con-
ssts of mine inland short distance In it
are located mortars and some rifles. The guns
are engineered by practical engineer He
sees nothing except by means of lens. or
through the eye of intelligence. The surface of
the water is measured, and is shown on the
chart which lies at the hands of the engineer,
who handles the guns as easily as one moves the
hands on watch. When the enemy ap-
proaches the city it is discovered by means of
the lens if it is daylight, and by means of
electric wires if it is dark. Wires point out to
the engineer not only the location of the
enemy, but the speed it is moving at The
engineer turns his mortars, etc, into position
and fires with the accuracy of rifeman, throw
ing his missiles into the air and sending them to
their destination by inclines, right from the
mine or subterranean fort. There is no earth
work, no sand, no stone, iron, STEEL or other
obstruction. There is nothing but the level
ground around the place, and consequently no
E.. A.. ~t ho
flowers and beautiful park at the point-noth-
ing to indicate that the place is the point de re-
sistance of the whole coast AS the ships ap-
proach the coast they meet a new resisting force
| in the form of torpe9oes. On the bed Of the
waterway are powerful torpedoes. having a con-
nection by means of floats with the surface.
| When the ship strikes this float, or tiny wire it
discharges, by means of electricity, a chamber
in the torpedo. forming gas and causing the
| whole to instantly come to the surface Then
| the ship strikes the torpedo, it expodes and the
| entire structure is annhilated There will be
no booming cannon and batteries exposed tvthe
| enemy, and the minutest scientific details will
| be observed.
1--WE do not want in the construction of navy
a lot of heavy, slow iron clads or heavily
| d
| steel-armored, but with the very highest speed
twenty five knots an hour, if possible. We
want grey hounds-a feet which can run up to
one of the big, clumsy ships, reconnoitre, fire a
few shots, and then away. to prepare for a
reception near land There explosives will be
used. In this day of dynamite and preparations
for subterranean forts, heavy fighting on water
| is inexcusable. The best that can be done is tc
see what is coming and prepare to fight from
land. Within the next ten years there will be
no use for these heavily -armored men-of war
and scouting vessels dynamite, torpedoes and
that class of destroyers will do the fighting
The cruisers which have been prepared for by
Congress will be all right, as there are to be bn
few of them. and they will make up the variety
but do not think more can be utilized to ad
vantage. We should open our market to the
competition of the world in preparing for war
and get the very latest inventions"